Is Celebrity going to Eliminate Butlers on Sky and Celebrity Suites?

[emmas gran]

I have b2 b2 b on Edge late October paying £8000 for each leg Rome to Sydney Sky suites booked October 2021

MSC YC balcony 14 nights Canaries cruise mid September 2023 under £5000 solo booked Early June 2023

Also booked 23 nights on Silverseas new ship Nova next April under £10000 for 2 of us booked late June 2023. Deluxe Veranda 

Butler service on all 3 cruise lines, Celebrity is pricing me out of its market

Edited July 29, 2023 by emmas gran

[Turtles06]

15 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

So that means if we have already booked they wouldn’t change this?

You missed the context of my post that you quoted. I was responding to, and quoted, a comment from someone who was wondering how guests could be grandparented into a policy that existed when they booked, but overall, a change in that policy would be immediate. The point of my comment was that Celebrity should only make major changes on a going forward basis, that is, when an itinerary is first offered for sale, or there’s an effective date at some time in the future, so that no one would have been able to book a cruise at that point. 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

10 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

The point of my comment was that Celebrity should only make major changes on a going forward basis, that is, when an itinerary is first offered for sale, or there’s an effective date at some time in the future, so that no one would have been able to book a cruise at that point. 

I agree. 

[weregoingcruising]

16 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

You missed the context of my post that you quoted. I was responding to, and quoted, a comment from someone who was wondering how guests could be grandparented into a policy that existed when they booked, but overall, a change in that policy would be immediate. The point of my comment was that Celebrity should only make major changes on a going forward basis, that is, when an itinerary is first offered for sale, or there’s an effective date at some time in the future, so that no one would have been able to book a cruise at that point. 

That would be the fair way but that’s not the Celebrity way.

[clojacks]

Never having sailed in a Suite on any line, I have an honest question? What % of people sail in a Suite to have access to a butler, versus sailing in a Suite for other reasons, i.e. the size of the cabin, exclusivity of space as found in certain Suite areas, etc.

[terrydtx]

18 minutes ago, clojacks said:

Never having sailed in a Suite on any line, I have an honest question? What % of people sail in a Suite to have access to a butler, versus sailing in a Suite for other reasons, i.e. the size of the cabin, exclusivity of space as found in certain Suite areas, etc.

We book Suites for many reasons, but when we booked, a Butler was one of the amenities we bought into. So we are paying something for that amenity. If we had never had a butler in the first Sky Suite we sailed in, this change would be not that big a deal. We cruise some on HAL and they do not have butlers in their highest suites, but those high suites cost much less per day than a suite on Celebrity. Knowing how Celebrity works they will take away this amenity for those already booked and just say they have that right, that seems to be the Celebrity way of doing things.

Edited July 29, 2023 by terrydtx

[Straughn]

9 hours ago, jelayne said:

Without the 152 SS & CS on the E class ships the Retreat spaces will be a ghost town.  Those 14 high end suites will certainly enjoy  quiet spaces and their choice of seats.

 

Why invest $1B each in ships with so much space dedicated to the Retreat for 28 or so guests. Even if you include CS you have 30 suites out of  176.

 

 

 

 

On my last few cruises in a SS (on S & E class ship), the lounge was never busy except on nights when there was an Officers’ Meet & Greet.”   When the Officers left, so did the passengers.   When they had music, it was only busy during that time. As soon as the musician left, a lot of people left.

 

Passengers came in for a few minutes to check on a reservation or get a drink/bite to eat from the buffet. No one seemed to stick around very long. I have often heard people say “this place is dead/quiet. Let’s got to the Martini Bar.” As a solo cruiser, in the past, The Retreat was a way to get to know other passengers, because it was the same folks every night.   I no longer find that to be the case.

[ChucktownSteve]

21 minutes ago, clojacks said:

Never having sailed in a Suite on any line, I have an honest question? What % of people sail in a Suite to have access to a butler, versus sailing in a Suite for other reasons, i.e. the size of the cabin, exclusivity of space as found in certain Suite areas, etc.

 

I've had a Celebrity Suite with a butler, a Regent suite also with a butler and a Regent suite without a butler.  While the butler is not the deciding factor, as terrydtx pointed out, I do take that into account as an amenity compared with pricing to determine if I feel I'm getting enough value for the booking cost.

 

If yes, I'm there. If not, I look elsewhere.

 

I've also sailed in Celebrity SV, AQ and CC class as well as all the other cabin levels.

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

36 minutes ago, clojacks said:

Never having sailed in a Suite on any line, I have an honest question? What % of people sail in a Suite to have access to a butler, versus sailing in a Suite for other reasons, i.e. the size of the cabin, exclusivity of space as found in certain Suite areas, etc.

For me, a balcony hot tub is very important, as is a new(er) ship (unless it is a transatlantic crossing, which I only do on QM2, even though no balcony hot tubs. In this case, we pick the palatial staterooms with awesome views. My S.O. needs a stable ship which is why for Transatlantics we choose QM2).

 

On Celebrity, I book only on Beyond and Ascent in EV or IC for the hot tubs, privacy, and frankly the service has been exceptional. We take breakfast every day in our stateroom and a proper table is a nice way to do so. Plus, the "all in" for these staterooms is a good feature.

 

Except for shore excursions, spa treatments, and dining, my S.O. and I spend most of our time in the privacy of our stateroom so the hot tubs, views, and space are top considerations. 

 

The butler and shoreside service for EV/IC have been Johnny on the spot. I like the attention to detail with butlers on staff. This would be a huge miss if they ever pull them from top cabins.

 

I really like what I get with Beyond and soon Ascent. 

 

Peace to all.

Edited July 29, 2023 by 4-2-N-8

[wineoclock]

We’ve been in PS, CS, SS & Aqua in S class. No way I’d sail Aqua on e class. Suites only. We’ve an upcoming cruise in a CS for a 12 night cruise costing just under £20,000. For that cost I damn well expect a butler. I’ll cancel if they change that as that is what I had booked at the time. Reduce the fare & im perfectly happy without a butler. 

[verizon]

I haven’t sailing on Celebrity a while.

Has this butler things already discontinued services fro CS and below ?

[prmssk]

4 minutes ago, verizon said:

I haven’t sailing on Celebrity a while.

Has this butler things already discontinued services fro CS and below ?

No, this thread is just about a rumor they might discontinue butler service for lower suites.

[emmas gran]

1 minute ago, prmssk said:

No, this thread is just about a rumor they might discontinue butler service for lower suites.

See post 63 may not be rumour 

[wineoclock]

Also for me having sailed Aqua on Silhouette I’d be perfectly happy there again but I use my balcony way too much for me to have an IV. Need to start looking at other lines if the price doesn’t decrease for suites & no butler. I don’t need a butler but that as I’ve said needs to be reflected in the cost. 

[prmssk]

6 minutes ago, emmas gran said:

See post 63 may not be rumour 

In my opinion, it is rumor until there is actually a policy or it is implemented.  From what I can tell it has not been verified by any higher official, what we know is only through word-of-mouth, and the plan could be changed or tweaked at any point before implementation.  

 

That's not to say rumors can't ultimately come true.

[CruisinBanka]

With all the downgrades and changes Celebrity has been making over the past 2 years (service level, food quality, staff reductions, entertainment quality, bar service and cocktail availability) while increasing pricing substantially ( especially in Aqua and suites), would it surprise anyone that elimination of Butlers for Sky suites leads to reduced or elimination of access to Luminae for all meals or even the Retreat Lounge? 

[terrydtx]

8 minutes ago, wineoclock said:

Also for me having sailed Aqua on Silhouette I’d be perfectly happy there again but I use my balcony way too much for me to have an IV. Need to start looking at other lines if the price doesn’t decrease for suites & no butler. I don’t need a butler but that as I’ve said needs to be reflected in the cost. 

We have a cruise booked on one of the newer HAL ships for November in an aft facing Verandah. We added their Club Orange for the private dining room, priority boarding and tendering, free room upgrade, and expedited concierge services. We also got the premium drinks and Wi-Fi and crew appreciation, plus a $100pp shore excursion credit, $100pp OBC and one night in a specialty restaurant included. We will get a few of the nicer amenities of a Celebrity Suite at more than half the price of a Sky Suite on Celebrity. The New HAL ships have none of the horrible IV cabins too.

[Mark_T]

6 minutes ago, CruisinBanka said:

...would it surprise anyone that elimination of Butlers for Sky suites leads to reduced or elimination of access to Luminae for all meals or even the Retreat Lounge? 

Yes, I think that would surprise me as both Luminae and the Retreat (both Lounge and sun-deck) are not exactly over-used and they couldn't easily orphan lower suite guests in the MDR while Aqua has Blu, and Blu could not accommodate the additional load...

 

They could eventually make it a paid upgrade option I guess... 🙂

Edited July 29, 2023 by Mark_T

[wineoclock]

Years ago before Luminae I remember we were in PS. Found it odd that Aqua had Blu but the suites had the MDR. Could they really go back to that? 

[prmssk]

I don't know how much a butler is needed in a Sky Suite.  We rarely used ours when we were in a SS.  And what little they did the Concierges and your stateroom attendant can handle.  So I'm not sure the lack of a butler is a big issue to me.  

 

To me, pricing is the bigger problem and I suspect that will correct itself at some point.  We are now generally priced out of the Retreat both in that it doesn't fit our budget and also in that I don't feel there is enough value for the current price even if it was in our budget.  As prices continue to climb and people see less value in what is offered, there will be more people that fall into my category and at some point I suspect demand will fall.  I recognize that they are attracting a new clientele at the same time but I think that clientele will also reach a tipping point.

 

In the meantime, those that fall into my category (or are close to falling into it) are checking out other lines.  Will we find something we like better?   Only time will tell.  Celebrity does have on their side the fact that all cruise lines are cutting services and raising prices.  But that doesn't mean people won't find something they like better or that has a better value to them.

[mahdnc]

22 minutes ago, CruisinBanka said:

With all the downgrades and changes Celebrity has been making over the past 2 years (service level, food quality, staff reductions, entertainment quality, bar service and cocktail availability) while increasing pricing substantially ( especially in Aqua and suites), would it surprise anyone that elimination of Butlers for Sky suites leads to reduced or elimination of access to Luminae for all meals or even the Retreat Lounge? 

 

I don't think that will happen because Celebrity will want to continue to justify the extra premium they charge for those cabins.  Otherwise they become just extra large balcony cabins. Celebrity was originally charting a course to convert the large family veranda cabins (an example of an extra large balcony cabin) to Horizon Suites to generate more revenue but had to stop with implementing it in one ship because Covid interrupted the Revolution makeover. 

[Kelownadon]

3 hours ago, terrydtx said:

One more confirmation of our worst fears. Royalizing instead of Revolutionizeing. What is next, 4000+ passenger mega ships with rock climbing walls and water slides?

 

Can you imagine how many spectators you would get if you could watch 70 and 80 year olds trying to rock climb. The place would be packed. 

[mahdnc]

2 minutes ago, Kelownadon said:

Can you imagine how many spectators you would get if you could watch 70 and 80 year olds trying to rock climb. The place would be packed. 

Like watching NASCAR because you want to see car wrecks?

[terrydtx]

This was just posted in the social media site we can't mention and it doesn't look good as it sounds like the Butlers are being let go after current cruises end.

 

For what it's worth, our butler from our most recent Celebrity cruise (Edge Villa on Beyond in June) reached out to me to say that indeed the mass dismissal of butlers is true. He was one of those let go. That surprises me since he was working upper level suites.

It also seems to be immediate...as in they are all no longer on the ships when they finish their current cruises. In any case, I would expect that those of you with bookings in anything below a Royal will NOT have a butler and I wouldn't even be sure if you're Royal or above.

And for those who think "oh, I don't use the butler much", I'd just caution you to think how overwhelmed your cabin stewards and Retreat Lounge staff will be now that there is no butlers to fulfill all of those requests for all of those cabins.

I don't want to be the "downer" on someone's upcoming vacation, but I think everyone should be prepared.

If any of this proves incorrect, I apologize. It is hearsay, but it's hearsay from as close to the situation as I could imagine. So, take it for what it's worth

[PTC DAWG]

39 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

We have a cruise booked on one of the newer HAL ships for November in an aft facing Verandah. We added their Club Orange for the private dining room, priority boarding and tendering, free room upgrade, and expedited concierge services. We also got the premium drinks and Wi-Fi and crew appreciation, plus a $100pp shore excursion credit, $100pp OBC and one night in a specialty restaurant included. We will get a few of the nicer amenities of a Celebrity Suite at more than half the price of a Sky Suite on Celebrity. The New HAL ships have none of the horrible IV cabins too.

Which ship?  Or class of ships are the newer ones on HAL…